Red Ant-Mimic Spiders are clever little arachnids. Their disguise gives them access to more than just safety from potential predators.

Red Ant-Mimic Spiders play both sides of the game: defense and offense. Their ability to be confused as red ants helps keep their predators at bay. It also allows them to get very close to their unsuspecting red ant prey.

Red Ants are usually found in or near their colonies. When one is injured, others will come and their bites are annoying, if not painful, to a predator. Red Ant-Mimic Spiders can take advantage of the wide berth they are given by other invertebrates. They can also get close enough to kill and eat an ant without drawing alarm because it blends in well with the species. Other insect prey that are indifferent to the presence of ants will not see an attack coming until it is too late.

Basic Information

Common Name: Red Ant-Mimic Spider

Scientific Name:Castianeira sp.

Category: Spider

General Identification

Size (Adult; Length): 3mm to 5mm (0.12in to 0.20in)

Identifying Colors: orange; red; brown

Additional Descriptors: ant

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom:Animalia

Phylum:Arthropoda

Class:Arachnida

Order:Araneae

Family:Corrinidae

Genus:Castianeira

Species:sp.

Spider Anatomy (Typical)

1

Legs: Spiders have four pairs of legs and these are attached to the cephalothorax.

2

Pedipalps: Small appendages near the mouth used as taste and smell organs.

3

Cephalothorax: Contains eyes, head, mouthparts, and legs.

4

Abdomen: Contains various organs related to digestion, reproduction, and web-making.

5

Spinnerets: Used in the production of spider silk for fashioning webs or catching prey.

NOTE: Unlike insects, spiders have both an endoskeleton (internal) and exoskeleton (external).

Territorial Reach (A-to-Z)

Note: An insect's reach is not limited by lines drawn on a map and therefore species may appear in areas, regions and/or states beyond those listed below as they are driven by environmental factors (such as climate change), available food supplies and mating patterns. Grayed-out selections below indicate that the subject in question has not been reported in that particular territory. U.S. states and Canadian provinces / territories are clickable to their respective bug listings.

The map below showcases (in red) the states and territories of North America where the Red Ant-Mimic Spider may be found (but is not limited to). This sort of data can be useful in seeing concentrations of a particular species over the continent as well as revealing possible migratory patterns over a species' given lifespan. Some species are naturally confined by environment, weather, mating habits, food resources and the like while others see widespread expansion across most, or all, of North America.